With the Canadian Grand Prix having been in search of a permanent home throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Circuit Ile Notre-Dame first hosted the race in 1978. Fittingly, Gilles Villeneuve claimed his maiden win, at the track that would end up bearing his name.

The fast, low-downforce circuit is one of the drivers’ favourites. The track is quite stop-start, with lots of heavy-braking chicanes and the famous hairpin to get the anchors working hard. Out of the corners, though, the track is quick and flowing, while the most iconic piece of the circuit comes right at the end of the lap: the Wall of Champions, so-called after excursions into it from Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Michael Schumacher in 1999.

The Montrealais really embrace their Grand Prix weekend, with the charming city turning into an F1-loving party town in the week leading up to the race. For the Grand Prix itself, the leafy setting makes the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve one of Formula 1’s most laidback venues.